


Until the Last Petal Falls [Sakazuki x Reader]

by RavenRunning



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:41:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29277876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenRunning/pseuds/RavenRunning
Summary: Unyielding ideals require complete dedication. All sacrifices are justified in pursuit of his goal. He does not falter. He does not look back. He knows what must be done to achieve Absolute Justice. He will stop at nothing.She falters. She can't help but glance over her shoulder at those left behind. She sags under the weight of his Justice, her legs shaking, her head bent.Still... he loved her.
Relationships: Akainu | Sakazuki/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 35





	1. 1

You stared at the flower held delicately between your fingers.

It was a pink rose, blooming in all its splendour. A gift from one of the little girls you had helped board the ship designated for the citizen evacuation from Ohara. She had smiled and offered you the flower.

_“Thank you for saving us.”_

That’s what she had said to you.

The petals were too soft, too pure to belong in your hands. You were dirty. Full of sin. Yet you refused to let it go.

_“Thank you for saving us.”_

You watched the ship carrying the entirety of the Oharan population sink beneath the waves. You could just make out the screams over the roar of the blaze ripping across the island behind you.

Everything was burning. Everyone was dying.

But you’d expected this.

It was a Buster Call, after-all. Declared by the World Government to call down the might of the Marines in order to completely annihilate those who opposed them.

Still…

You’d thought the blameless citizens would be allowed to walk free. They’d been oblivious to the terrible things that the Scholars of Ohara were trying to uncover.

You finally tore your wide eyes from the wreck and found the man who had ordered its creation. The man who you’d been working under since your promotion to Lieutenant. The man who many thought had the makings of the next Fleet Admiral. And from the way he had risen from Captain, to Rear Admiral, to Vice Admiral within the few years that you’d served him, you had to agree.

There he stood, eyes hidden under the brim of his hat and features shrouded by the hood of his sweater. His back was straight. His shoulders were set. He didn’t look happy, but he did not regret. He did not doubt.

His words echoed in your head.

_“We have to be thorough. If even one of those scholars made it onto that ship, all of the sacrifices we’ve made will have been for naught. We must eliminate the very possibility of this evil existing!”_

You loosened your grip on the flower, not wanting to crush the last act of kindness of an innocent child.

Your heart ached. Your vision spun. You wanted to scream and kick and punch and fight. But you stayed still and silent with the rest of the unit assigned to Vice Admiral Sakazuki.

If all the scholars were eliminated, if this evil was purged from the world, all this destruction and death would be justified.

Right?


	2. 2

The waves lapped gently against the breaker, tossing playful spray at your boots as you dangled your feet over the edge. You pulled the brim of your hat down to shade your eyes from the red glare of the sunset bouncing off the water.

Before you, the ocean stretched uninterrupted to the dazzling horizon. Behind you, Marineford towered commandingly over the waves, bustling with Marines and their families. A gull called from overhead and then flapped awkwardly down a ways off on your right. You watched it pick at a strand of seaweed before letting your gaze travel along the curving arm that formed one half of the sheltered bay. From your vantage point, here at the very tip of the left causeway, the imposing palace emblazoned with ‘Marines’ seemed to scrape the clouds as they scudded along on the evening breeze.

You wished those strong, bold letters could scrape away this feeling crawling under your skin.

The gull squawked and took off again. You traced its flight and saw a ship approaching against the setting sun. You lifted an eyebrow and sat quietly in your favourite spot. Soon you could make out the tall figure laying back in a chair set on the main deck.

“You’re late, Kuzan-san,” you called down.

The man lifted a hand to pull his dark glasses off his face. He blinked up at you a couple times before frowning.

“You’re just early, Y/n.”

You sighed. If he was this grouchy you must have just woken him up.

“Everyone else got back a week ago,” you said, “You’ve kept them waiting.”

He sat up as the ship slowly passed through the mouth of Marineford Bay.

“Waiting?” he asked.

“The other four are going to receive devil fruits,” you said, “For your… diligence at Ohara. Sengoku wanted to present them all at once. With _everyone_ who participated in attendance. Formal wear only.”

Kuzan’s frown deepened. He kept his eyes on you even as the ship began drifting further away.

“I see… thanks for the heads up,” he leaned back in his chair and rested his hands behind his head.

You nodded.

He was almost out of earshot when he called back.

“Did you know what he was planning?”

The wind turned cold against your skin. You weren’t sure what expression you were giving him.

“No…” you whispered it, but he understood you across the growing distance.

You remained watching after each other as his ship readied for docking. When he was nothing but a blob on the deck, you finally tore your eyes away and stared into the setting ball of fire until you saw nothing but spots of darkness and light.


	3. 3

“L/n-san! We need some help over here!”

You turned to look across the battlefield that had once been a pristine sandy beach. Between the brawling figures of pirates and Marines you soon found who had called for you. A few dead pirates later you were running up to the village bordering the sea. A building had collapsed and pinned a Marine, a newer seaman recruit. His legs and one arm were immobilized by the pile of bricks.

“It’s too heavy!” The few other soldiers gathered around were all panting heavily.

“Tch! Come on!” you immediately grabbed a section of the wall, “Put your backs into it! You! Pull him out as soon as he’s free!”

The Marines took up position around you.

“On three!” you grunted, readying your grip, “One, two-“

You all lifted at once and the wall rose with you.

“Got him!”

The wall crashed back down, releasing a cloud of dust into the air.

“Phew! Thanks, Lieutenant!”

“Get him treated,” you ordered the Marine who’d pulled the wounded man out, “The rest of you focus on the group of pirates near that cave up around the bend. We’ll be in for a drawn out fight if they hole up in there.”

“Hai, L/n-san!”

“Hang on,” you pulled the last soldier back, an Ensign, “We need to make sure the pirates can’t escape. Gather a few others and find their ship. If you can’t disable the rudder chain, just-“ you blinked and saw a flaming wreck sinking beneath hungry waves, taking hundreds of innocent lives to a watery grave on the off-chance that an ‘evil’ one lurked among them, “… cut it loose.”

He saluted, gave you a serious nod, and then stepped away. You heard a sizzling sound and glanced over your shoulder.

“Look out!”

You grabbed the Ensign’s arm and dragged him back with you, just barely evading the lethal splash of magma.

“Thanks, Lieutenant L/n!” he gasped as you released him.

“Hurry up!” you waved him off before turning to confront a pirate who had leapt out of the rubble.

A hiss of warning allowed you to avoid another glob of magma as it flew through the air.

“Sir! _Please_ try to aim!” you shouted as you lifted your sword to block a club aimed at your head.

The pirate pushed back, using his heavier weight against you. The stench of his blood, sweat, and fear made your nose wrinkle in disgust. You lifted your other hand, aimed your gun at his face, and fired.

It was so much easier with pirates. Why couldn’t it always be pirates?

“Watch your tongue, Lieutenant!”

You glanced back to see Sakazuki aiming another reddened fist at a group of pirates now cowering behind an overturned rowboat. You watched as his arm shifted, morphed, extended. An oozing mass of magma raced toward the rowboat, completely destroying it and the five men behind it. You were grateful that their screams only lasted a few seconds.

The magma slowly retreated, pulled back into the shape of an arm. Sakazuki lifted his hand, flexing his fingers as he frowned at his glove. It was a little strange seeing him without his sword. He had taken to leaving it behind now that he was getting the hang of using his devil fruit powers.

Getting the hang of. Not quite there yet.

“Sir!” you growled as a few stray drops of magma landed _much_ too close for comfort as you were fending off two men at once. You could feel your feet heating up even through the thick leather of your boots. A roundhouse kick served to knock out the two pirates as well as distance yourself from the scalding heat. “Keep in mind that your comrades are also fighting here!”

You expected another snappy retort. Instead you heard a grunt of pain. You whirled around and felt the colour drain from your face.

Sakazuki was slumped on the ground. A large gash had appeared on his thigh and it was bleeding profusely through his uniform. A massive pirate wearing some sort of mech suit was looming over him, laughing and waving around a giant spear tipped with blood.

“Shit! Doctor! I need a doctor now!” you shouted over your shoulder.

You thought you had one more shot left, but you weren’t positive. You lifted your gun and fired. The bang flooded you with relief and the spear was knocked out of the pirate’s metal hand. He cried out and turned, trying to locate this new attacker. You were already running.

“Sir!” you came to a skidding stop before his slouched form, “What the hell?! You’re _made_ _of_ magma!”

His features were tight with pain as he glared down at you.

“There are ways to negate devil fruit powers,” he grunted, his blood-slicked fingers slipping as he pressed them to his leg.

“Then why the hell did you leave your sword behind?!” you snapped, mostly in fear, as you looked over the wound.

It was a nasty gash stretching from his hip almost to his knee. The edges were jagged, flesh torn to shreds.

A soldier ran up, but he wasn’t the doctor. You recognized his face as another new recruit.

“What are you doing here? Where the hell is Kazaki?!” you immediately rounded on him.

“He’s got his hands full. There was a pirate with a nail studded club over there,” he panted, pointing off in a random direction, “But the assistant medic is coming.”

That would have to do.

A shadow fell over you and you froze. You couldn’t believe you’d actually forgotten about that pirate.

A blast of heat almost knocked you over, it actually did send the recruit flying, and you turned to see Sakazuki meeting the mech’s metal fist with a molten punch. But he was kneeling, and without his hand to staunch the bleeding his pants immediately became soaked with scarlet.

The mech, and the pirate inside it, melted into the volcanic heat, screaming all the way. Sakazuki slumped back onto the ground.

“Sir!” you ran back to his side and clamped your hands over his wound, “Come on! Stay with me!”

You leaned over and shoved into his chest with your shoulder, trying to keep him awake. Your effort barely resulted in shifting him. The man was so much bigger than you despite only being a few years older.

His eyes opened with surprising swiftness.

“Get out of my face, Lieutenant.” He looked absolutely pissed.

You leaned back, giving him some space as he propped himself upon his elbows. His hat sat lopsided on his head, held in place by his soot smudged hood. He sat up but then faltered and glared at your hands on his leg.

“This wound needs to be closed,” you fixed him with a stare, making sure he was still lucid, “Now.”

Sakazuki let out a grunt that you suspected covered a hiss of pain. His brow furrowed and his eyes moved over your face and then began drifting around aimlessly. Not good. Screw waiting for the doctor.

You used your sleeve to wipe away as much of the blood as you could. You had no antiseptic on you, you could only hope infection wouldn’t set in.

“Keep pressure on this!” you grabbed his hand and set it over the wound.

You felt the weight of Sakazuki’s gaze as you snatched your sword from your waist.

“Heat this up, sir!”

His gaze focused as he realized what you were trying to do. You had no idea how he was still conscious, he was losing so much blood. His lips pressed into a hard line.

“Sir!” you lifted your sword.

His eyelids drooped and he nodded. He swayed dangerously as he lifted his free hand. The skin rippled and then began to glow a deep, rich red. The blast of heat dried your eyes and seared your skin. You pressed the sword to it, feeling blisters rising over your knuckles as they hovered over the magma. Within seconds it was almost impossible to hold. You pulled the metal away just before it began to glow red.

“This is going to hurt.”

“Don’t wasste my time, sholdier!”

Well that was not a good sign.

“I would never, sir.”

Sakazuki’s hand had already fallen from his leg. You pressed the sword to his wound. The smell of burnt flesh filled your nose and you barely managed to stifle your gag. Seconds passed in an eternity. The sounds of battle were still raging around you. A few shouts were getting a little too close for comfort.

You lifted your sword to reveal red, inflamed skin. But the bleeding had stopped. The wound was sealed.

You immediately leapt to your feet and thrust the still burning hot sword an inch passed Sakazuki’s head. He stiffened, his eyes widening in faint shock.

“Don’t move, sir,” you panted, eyes glaring at the figure standing, axe raised, right behind the Vice Admiral.

The pirate coughed, blood spilling over his lips as you twisted your grip, making sure the sword cooked his insides before he fell lifelessly to the ground.

A puff of breath hit your cheeks and you realized your lunge had brought you a step closer to Sakazuki. You blinked at his stern features, noting much more detail in them now that you were up close. His eyes weren’t the dull brown you’d always thought they were, but a light hazel.

His expression shifted, and it was only then that you realized he had been calm before. Now he was furious.

He thrust you back, slapping a bloody handprint on your shoulder and sending you tumbling to the ground. Heat engulfed you, sucking the moisture out of the air so fast you choked. You looked up just in time to see a wave of magma consume another group of pirates that had tried to take advantage of the Vice Admiral’s temporary absence from the battle and your diverted attention.

You scrambled out of the way as Sakazuki swiped the magma flow across the ground. He staggered from the effort but managed to stay on his feet. You were amazed that he hadn’t collapsed again right away. The man’s strength was truly monstrous.

The assistant medic finally came scrambling over the rubble.

“I heard the Vice Admiral was wounded?!” he panted, his large bag thumping against his thigh.

“I’ve already received treatment,” Sakazuki turned a harsh glare on him, “You’re lucky that Lieutenant L/n is more capable than you. Move faster in the future if you want to keep your job.”

The medic gulped, flicking his gaze to you before nodding.

“Yes, sir,” he said, “There’s a bunch of pirates that have holed up in a cave up the beach. We’ve cornered them but no one can break through.”

You pursed your lips to smother your sigh.

“What are you doing standing here then?!” Sakazuki snapped, “If there are still pirates living you should be hunting them down!”

“Sir!” the poor man scrambled away as fast as he had come.

Sakazuki paused, taking a few slow steps to test his injured leg. There was a limp, but he could support himself. He turned and met your gaze. There was something in his expression that made you shift uncomfortably.

“We’ll head for that cave,” he paused again, his eyes searching your face for a moment, “Cover me.”

Despite being in the heat of battle, things seemed to still. You blinked as something in your chest tightened.

“Yes, sir.”

He nodded and turned, his fist already shifting to a darker hue. You were confronted with his broad back. His coat rippled in a fresh breeze. The black writing stood out against the crisp white.

Justice.

You lifted your sword, stained with the blood, _his_ blood, you hadn’t wiped off your hands, and ran after Sakazuki as he leapt back into the fray.


	4. 4

You glared at the approaching ship, eyes raking over the figures lounging on the deck, confident in the title of their captain and relishing in their exemption from the law.

Their leader stood commandingly at the rail, watching calmly as your ships passed by each other in the vast blue sea, a mocking smirk on his face. The golden hook attached to his left arm glinted in the sun. You squinted against its reflection and your frown deepened.

“Smug bastard!” you growled, your fingers clenching the hilt of your sword.

You wanted desperately to bring your blade down on his head.

“At ease, Lieutenant.”

Your eyes slid over to see Sakazuki glaring out at the pirates with as much hate, if not more, than you felt.

“Sorry, sir,” you muttered under your breath. Across the water, Crocodile’s smirk grew. “Warlord or not, a pirate is a pirate. I don’t trust them.”

He didn’t deserve to sail by a fully equipped Marine ship without a care in the world. He deserved to be dealt a healthy dose of justice for his crimes. But you had to turn a blind eye.

You felt Sakazuki’s gaze even as you were glaring down the Warlord. Your fingers were still hovering over your sword.

“Such a system helps maintain the balance of power of our world,” his words were scripted, repeated ad nauseam throughout all the courses every Marine was required to attend, “It is a necessary evil we must tolerate in order to control the growing numbers of pirates.”

“With all due respect sir,” you muttered, “That doesn’t mean we have to like it. Pirates should never be allowed to walk free from a Marine.”

You’d always ensured no pirate had _ever_ walked away from an encounter with you. Even before you’d joined the Marines. Ever since you were old enough to carry a sword.

It pained you to have to let Crocodile go, even though he was _technically_ not a pirate anymore.

Crocodile’s ship passed on and the soldiers returned to their duties. You let out a sigh and moved to return to your room, where you had been filling out some paperwork before the call had come down from the crow’s nest.

“L/n.”

You stiffened and looked back. Sakazuki was still watching the horizon.

“Sir?”

He turned his head and just barely met your gaze from under the brim of his hat. The pause drew out. His scowl grew deeper.

“Have those reports finished before we return to Headquarters.”

You smothered your confused frown and nodded.

“Yes… sir.”

Sakazuki held your gaze for a few more seconds, then he turned and walked off without so much as a dismissal.


	5. 5

You stared at the dried rose, frozen in its full-bloom beauty.

You’d kept it hanging upside-down on a string slung across your porthole window. Now it was shaking between your fingers. Its petals stood tall and proud, just as they had the day you’d helped commit genocide.

The wanted poster was clenched in your other hand.

Nico Robin.

A child. A little girl.

The one scholar who had escaped the Buster Call that brought Ohara’s complete destruction. The one ‘evil’ that had escaped the hammer of Justice.

You closed your eyes and saw the burning ship sink beneath the waves. You heard the screams and the gunfire. You watched all that knowledge turn to ash under the flames you had helped light.

_“Thank you for saving us.”_

The ship rolled under your feet and you stumbled from your room. You wanted to run as fast and as far as you could. Why the hell did the news have to come when you were at sea?!

You slammed into the rail and your supper left your stomach in favour of an adventure in the sea. You shivered as the wind hit your clammy skin, but your feverish insides welcomed the cold. The sunset dazzled water was blinding, but you couldn’t close your eyes again.

“Lieutenant L/n.”

You lifted your head to see your superior approaching down the deck.

“Do you need an escort to the sick bay?” his tone bordered on disgust.

You took a deep breath, letting the salty air bring life back to your lungs. Then you wiped your mouth and forced your body to stand to attention. The rancid aftertaste of bile remained.

“No, Vice Admiral, sir.”

His eyes dropped to the hand at your side. Curious, you followed his gaze.

You were still holding the rose. And the wanted poster.

“I heard you turned down your promotion.”

Your attention moved back to the man standing steady on the lurching deck. His hands were stuck into the pockets of his sweater and the Marine hat cast a shadow over his face. His coat billowed in the stiff breeze.

“Yes… sir,” you weren’t sure what else to say.

“Are you dissatisfied with the opportunities made available to you?” his features remained unreadable.

You lowered your saluting arm and began rolling the stem of the rose between your fingers. The prick of the thorns was relieving, helping to focus your thoughts on the present.

“Not at all,” you shook your head, “I’m-…”

-not strong enough.

The words got stuck somewhere in your throat.

The only shift in his expression was a raised eyebrow.

“You are a reliable soldier,” he said, “It would benefit us both if I was able to authorize you to work more independently.”

You thought over his reasoning, wondering what you’d done to warrant such praise.

“Very well, sir.”

His eyebrow lifted again, but this time the corner of his mouth twitched as well.

“Your mind is easily swayed,” his eyes dug into yours, “I have no patience for weak-willed Marines.”

A warm trail of blood trickled over your knuckles. You loosened your grip and shot a glance down to make sure you hadn’t crushed the rose.

“I refused the promotion because I thought I could uphold Justice best as part of this unit,” you tried to keep your jaw relaxed, to not grit your teeth, “But if you think I’m better suited for other work, I will do that. I trust your judgement, sir.”

The paper clenched between your bloodstained fingers challenged your words. You ignored it.

Sakazuki tilted his head slightly. You couldn’t quite place his expression.

“See that you contact Headquarters about that promotion,” he said, then he walked on down the deck without a backwards glance.

You lifted the rose and brought it to your nose, allowing yourself to pretend you could still smell its sweet perfume. It would be the only pleasant thing in your dreams for a very long time.


	6. 6

You sprinted along the side deck, unsheathing your sword as you ran.

A few grappling hooks had been secured to the rail and some violence-hungry pirates were scaling ropes strung across from their ship floating off the port side. You hacked at the lines as you sped by, launching all those climbing them into the sea.

A loud crash came from the fore deck, where the main force of the pirates had swung aboard, but Sakazuki was over there so you didn’t bother slowing your steps as you made for the unguarded stern.

Usually there was a lookout posted to both the fore and aft decks, but the attack had come mid shift-change. A fact that gave you the feeling this was a planned ambush.

You tore around the corner and skidded to a halt as three hulking figures blocked your way. Identical jolly rogers were emblazoned on different parts of their clothing. You recognized the symbol of a laughing skull from earlier this week when you’d defended a village from pillaging pirates. But the crew you had wiped out then had been small and you’d figured that it was part of larger armada.

Today the main force was seeking revenge. They must be pretty confident if they thought they could take on a Vice Admiral.

The three pirates that had boarded your ship were much larger than those you’d dispatched previously. And they were quickly getting over your surprise appearance.

You scanned the area. No other soldiers had thought to check back here. You squared your shoulders and lifted your sword. You were used to being out numbered, pirates never fought fair. And you never offered any mercy to these scum either.

You leapt on the closest one, slicing your sword up to meet his neck. He was quicker than you’d expected and blocked your attack with a large axe.

“Looky here, we’ve got ourselves a Marine bitch,” his lips parted to reveal a few severely yellowing teeth.

Your nose wrinkled at his rancid breath. He pushed back, using his weight to thrust downward. The screech of steel on steel rang in your ears and sparks flew, partially blocking your vision.

A flash in the corner of your eye alerted you just in time. You ducked under the dagger coming for your head and rolled away. Right into the third pirate’s hands.

He grabbed your arm and tried wrenching your sword away. You held on, but the thud of footsteps approaching from behind reminded you of your vulnerable back. You cut your losses and let go of the sword.

You dodged to the side and lunged for the wall, managing to gain some distance. But there was no time to catch your breath. You glanced around, finding yourself _still_ the only marine back here, and then faced off with your opponents again.

You lifted your gun and pulled the trigger. A dull click followed.

“Shit!” you hissed.

The pirates took full advantage of your malfunctioning firearm. The largest of them thrust forward and his thick palm closed over your throat.

“It’s cute that you thought you could take us on all by yourself,” he sneered, slamming you back against the wall, “We’ll be taking our revenge for you killing our comrades in Waya village.”

You choked and tore at his fingers, trying and failing to loosen his grip. There was no doubt in your mind about what sort of ‘revenge’ they were planning.

“So you’ve got dicks then?” you panted, glaring your hatred through your watering eyes.

The pirate leered as he bent down over you.

“You’ll find out soon enough, you dirty whore,” he chuckled darkly.

You grabbed his shoulders, which were now within your reach, and thrust your knee into his groin with as much force as you could muster. His face instantly paled, a small whine escaped him, and his hand left your throat as he toppled sideways.

“You fuckin’ bitch!” the second pirate spat.

Gasping air back into your lungs, you managed to dodge the swing of his club, but unfortunately that sent you straight into the path of the third’s fist.

There was a sickening crunch and warmth flowed down over your lips. Your vision blurred to almost nothing as uncontrolled tears streamed down your cheeks. Your hat tumbled from your head as you were sent staggering.

Fingers returned to your throat and you were slammed to the ground. The breath you’d managed to take in left your body once again and you gagged and struggled against the hands holding you down.

“Fuck taking her prisoner!” someone grunted over you, “I’m screwing the bitch right here and now!”

A fist grabbed the collar of your uniform and you barely managed to swallow your panicked cry as your shirt was torn to shreds.

“Hang on, the captain will be wanting first dibs. Take her back to the ship.”

“Yeah, we can have _our_ fun after.”

You weren’t sure whether this was a stroke of luck or not.

Your vision started to clear, though you were still choking on air and blood. Your broken nose was pulsing pain through your head and you couldn’t hide your shivering.

A whistling sound filled the air. You thought it was just your fevered brain suffering from lack of oxygen, but then the pirates began to react.

“What the fuck?!”

You squinted up to see strange smoking missiles flying through the sky. They hissed and sputtered and glowed a deep, rich red.

You hadn’t seen him use that technique before.

Loud crunching sounds soon followed.

“They’re targeting the ship! These fucking Marines are begging to be slaughtered!”

While the pirates above you were watching the skies, your watering eyes scoured your surroundings. The blobby form of a pistol was sticking out of the nearest man’s belt and you decided to take what luck you could get. You mustered your strength and lunged your arm up.

The pirate noticed your movement a second too late.

You pulled the trigger and his head exploded. Blood and viscera splattered all over you and the hand fell limply from your throat.

“The fu-?!”

You didn’t even pause to clear the fleshy chunks from your vision. Two more shots rang out and two more bodies fell heavily to the deck.

You rolled away from the corpses and sat with your back against the wall, gasping and choking air back into your body.

The sounds coming from the main deck had a more triumphant tone to them. Cheers and mocking laughter. The roaring hiss of a pirate ship set aflame.

When you could breathe properly, you lifted a shaking hand to wipe the blood already drying on your face, picking out pieces of brain and bone from your hair.

Bile rose in your throat but didn’t quite make it out. Your shivers grew to near convulsions.

“Vice Admiral, sir! We can’t find Captain L/n!”

You stiffened as the call approached down the side deck.

“She is delivering our report to Headquarters, do not disturb her.”

Your eyes widened as his voice came from _right_ around the corner.

“Oh, yes sir.” Footsteps retreated.

You scrambled to pull your coat around your shoulders and cover your exposed body. But no one appeared on the rear deck.

“Go to your quarters,” Sakazuki spoke from around the corner, “I will send the doctor to you.”

Then the tap of his footsteps faded away.

You sat there for a while, trying to steady your heartbeat. Once your blood had stopped roaring in your ears you crawled forward to retrieve your hat, which had fallen close to the rail. You lifted it gently, making sure the dried rose you’d pinned to the brim was still secure.

The blooming beauty reassured you. Everything had turned out okay this time. You had completely defeated the evil.

You looked up in time to see the tip of a mast sink beneath the waves.

Behind you, the splash of bodies being thrown overboard peppered the sounds of clean-up.

You took a deep breath and set your hat firmly on your head. Then you tied your coat closed and forced your body to your room. Luck must have been feeling charitable, you ran into no one as you walked through the ship.

Being the only woman aboard, you had a room generally reserved for higher ranking officials. One fitted with a private bathroom. You were extremely grateful for this during times like these.

It took you a long time to strip the bloody shreds of your uniform off and scrub yourself clean.

The ship’s doctor came to your room and assured you that no lasting damage had been done. Your windpipe would recover within a week. Your broken nose would heal nicely. After slapping some bandages on you, he left.

You didn’t go to dinner.

At one point there was some shouting on deck, but the noises soon died down and no one came looking for you.

When the sky showing through the porthole above your bed was pitch black, a knock came on your door.

“Captain L/n.”

You were loath to speak to anyone, but you knew you couldn’t ignore him. You pulled yourself out of bed and hobbled to the door.

Sakazuki frowned down at you, his hood pulled up and his hands in his pockets.

He stood there in silence. You swallowed painfully and licked your lips.

“Thank you for your discretion, sir,” your voice would be a raspy whisper until your throat healed.

His frown twitched. His eyes were hidden in shadow.

“Were you harmed?” he asked.

You shook your head, knowing he wasn’t talking about your obvious injury.

“They only got one good hit in,” you gestured to your bandaged nose and two black eyes.

What you could see of his face relaxed a tad. There was a pause. He tensed again.

“I need your assistance with filing the report.”

It was your turn to tense up. Your brow wrinkled, but you slowly nodded. Better to get it done right away.

He turned, gesturing with his elbow for you to follow. His room was three doors down, separated from yours by a storage closet and a spare room reserved for any high-ranking visitors.

The space was kept clean and neat, with few personal touches.

A small glass case was set against the wall. It housed two beautiful bonsai trees, a juniper and a species you didn’t recognize, and was secured tightly against the rolling of the ship. A small box sat on the floor nearby, presumably to hold his tools. And his long sword rested against the wall near the door.

“Be as specific as you are capable,” he placed a paper, pen, and ink bottle on a large desk set in the corner.

You stiffened as you realized he wanted you to fill it out right there. In his room. Right now.

“L/n?”

You took a breath, nodded, and then sat down.

It took you much longer than necessary to finish your report, but Sakazuki didn’t rush you or give any indication that he wanted you out of his room.

He removed his coat but kept the hood of his sweater up. Then he took the bonsais out of their case and began tending to them. Watering, pruning, fertilizing.

He worked in silence. You worked in silence.

As you thought through the words you would write down, reliving the fresh memories you’d much rather forget, the rustles and snipping sounds filled the room with an air of solemn contemplation.

Your grip on the pen gradually relaxed. Your shoulders slowly lost their tension. By the time you finished and had to sign your name, your hands had stopped shaking.

“Sir?” It hurt to speak, but you needed to know.

“Hm?”

_Snip._

“How long were you there?”

_Snip._

_Rustle._

_Snip._

“I heard some scum shouting about returning to their ship. So I removed that option. I believe they were appropriately dealt with moments later.”

His voice was low, softer than the bark he often used to shout his orders.

_Rustle._

_Swish._

You looked up to see him returning the bonsais to their case. You’d never known he could handle something so tenderly.

You stood.

“Thank you, sir.”

He turned and met your stare. He had lowered his hood some time ago. You wondered how long you’d been in here.

“You handled the situation well,” he held your gaze with a firm scowl, “It is unfortunate that female officers have more to be wary of. I would caution you not to fight alone, but you are capable of defending yourself.”

You didn’t frown. You didn’t smile.

The pause drew out. If you didn’t know any better, you’d think he looked… awkward.

“Will you be requiring some time off?” he asked.

You shook your head. You needed to keep busy.

“Then I will see you during morning drills,” he said.

You nodded and left.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

You returned to the rear deck later that night, between the shift-change.

You didn’t know why. You couldn’t sleep and that is where your feet took you.

You stopped and stared as soon as you rounded the corner.

There were no signs of the blood or the bodies.

The planks were now warped and blackened. Many chunks of the deck were missing. Half the rail had vanished, leaving stubs of charcoal where the posts used to be.

The scent of burnt flesh lingered in the air.

You quickly retreated back to your cabin.


	7. 7

The water sparkled below you, reflecting the fluffy clouds above with an eerie perfection. You hadn’t seen it this calm around Marineford in years.

A perfect day to try and ride a bicycle.

“You’re getting better, Kuzan-san,” you swung your legs over the edge of the causeway.

The creak of a wheel answered you. A smirk lifted your lips as you saw the concentrated frown on his face.

“Pull your knees in, it’ll help keep your balance,” you called down.

The man still didn’t respond, but his knees did shift to point more forward as he pedalled along on an ice flow of his own creation.

You watched quietly, enjoying the noonday sun.

Kuzan made his way around the curve of the causeway, just out of your sight. You paused, listening for a shout and a splash, but it seemed the practise was paying off.

You relaxed when he reappeared in your line of sight. His movements were careful, the handlebars jerking every once and a while as he navigated around bumps in the ice.

“I think this is the most work I’ve ever seen you do in one day, Kuzan-san,” you hummed as he began another lap.

“I told you to drop the formality, Y/n,” he said, rolling to a stop below where you sat, “It’s not cool.”

You shrugged.

“It’s not my fault you outrank me now,” you said.

He lifted a quizzical eyebrow.

“Yes it is.”

You scoffed.

“The days of me kicking your ass are long gone, Kuzan _-san_. I don’t think I’ll be able to break Commodore with you monsters filling the upper ranks.”

He dismounted and lifted his arm. The iceberg beneath his feet rose until it was level with the causeway. He wheeled his bike up beside you and extended the kick-stand.

“I don’t know,” a smirk began curling his lips as he sat down, his long legs joined yours in dangling over the water, “I saw you beating up Doberman the other day. And he’s up for promotion soon.”

“I wasn’t beating him up. He asked me to spar,” you threw him an annoyed frown, “And it ended in a draw.”

His smirk grew and he pushed his glasses up to rest on his dark cap.

“I’m pretty sure he just wanted a chance to ask you out.”

Your jaw fell slack and you dropped your gaze.

“H-he didn’t mention anything like that,” you cleared your throat.

“Ararara, you’re blushing like a little girl, Y/n.”

His words, warm and jesting, punched you in the gut.

Your mouth snapped shut and your face turned cold.

…A little girl…

Kuzan sensed the shift in your mood and let you gather your thoughts.

You were hesitant to speak about it. You didn’t want to bring up the memories he held regarding the late ex-Vice Admiral Saul. And you knew he disagreed with Sakazuki’s actions that day.

But the words crawled out of your throat anyway.

“Did you hear about Nico Robin?”

The silence that followed was your answer. You let out a sigh and brought a hand to your forehead, rubbing your face in frustration.

“How could she have slipped through our fingers?! It was a Buster Call! Ohara was wiped off the map! Every citizen was-!” you choked into another silence.

Your restless hand left your face and began rubbing anxiously up and down your thigh. You looked over to find Kuzan watching the horizon, his face shadowed and grim.

“If you had found her…” he trailed off before turning to you, “Would you have killed her?”

Your mouth felt as if it was full of sand. You swallowed heavily and dropped your gaze. Small ripples in your reflection signalled the end of the afternoon calm.

“I…” you frowned, your fingers clenching the stone at your sides, “…I would’ve had to.”

He didn’t respond. For some reason, that stung you. Words of justification bubbled up.

“I know she’s a child, but the very fact that she lived means that all we did was for nothing,” you were suddenly speaking too fast, you were breathing too hard, “All those people! All that knowledge! Kuzan-!”

You cut yourself off and took a deep breath before lifting your gaze to meet his solemn stare. Your voice slipped out in a hoarse whisper.

“Because she lived… all that death and destruction… it was all for _nothing_ …”

His brow furrowed and he lifted a hand to drop his glasses back over his eyes.

You brought up one knee and pressed your forehead to it. He let you sit in your misery, offering his silent companionship.

You lost track of the moments as they slid by. You were buried so deeply in your thoughts that you didn’t hear the tap of approaching footsteps. You didn’t even notice when Kuzan stood up.

“Captain L/n.”

You jerked your head around to see Sakazuki glaring down at you. And he wasn’t alone. You often saw these two in each other’s company when you returned to Marineford.

“Sirs!” you leapt to your feet and stood to attention.

“You look lovely today, Captain-chan,” Borsalino gave you a smile and a lazy tip of his fedora.

“As do you, Vice Admiral.”

“Ooh~ I like her, Saka-san,” his smile grew and his gaze slid to the man at his side, “Why don’t you let her visit my unit sometime?”

“I’ve been looking for you,” Sakazuki ignored him, his eyes moved from you to Kuzan, “I didn’t know you two were so well acquainted."

“We are.”

You were surprised by Kuzan’s curt tone. He and Sakazuki had never seen eye to eye, but things were usually civil enough. The glares they were exchanging now was the most hostile you’d seen them since the Ohara Incident.

The three men held the tense silence. You shifted from foot to foot, feeling quite small among their towering forms.

Kuzan let out a sigh and moved to his bicycle.

“I’ll see you around, Y/n,” he mounted it and shot a glance at Sakazuki before offering you a brief nod, “What’s done is done. Try not to think too hard on it…”

Your breath caught in your throat as you watched him pedal away. It took you a moment to remember why he had left.

“You were looking for me, sir?”

Sakazuki searched your face for a moment.

“We have a new mission,” his words were clipped, his tone sharp, “It will be a week’s journey, barring any delays and detours. We set out tomorrow.”

Borsalino hummed a tune as he watched the ice shifting on the water below. You recognized it as a shanty that had been making the rounds among the cadets.

You bowed your head.

“I’ll gather the unit, sir.”

Sakazuki glared at you, then nodded.

“You’re dismissed.”

You set off after the already distant Kuzan.

When you reached the gates to Marineford you turned back to see the two men still standing at the end of the causeway, looking out over the iceflows slowly drifting out into the harbour.

As you watched, Sakazuki extended a hand and dropped a few fistfuls of magma into the sea. The ice quickly melted.

You hurried on your way before they caught you lingering.


	8. 8

You frowned at the map spread across the table.

“We’ll split into two groups, each taking one side of the village,” Sakazuki tapped his finger on the desired locations, “That will flush out the pirates all at once. We’ll herd them to the beach, where no citizens will be harmed.”

Yes, that is how it should always be.

Nods and mutters of agreement rolled around the table. Your frown deepened as you eyed the size of the village.

“Sir?”

All attention turned to you. Sakazuki shot you a faint scowl.

“Yes?”

You leaned forward against the table, pointing a finger at the center of the map.

“I agree with your plan, but we should also send a small team right into the village, in case any of the pirates think to take hostages. It will take the flanks a while to complete their sweeps. It will go faster if there are three teams.”

Sakazuki paused and looked back to the map.

“Are you in a hurry, Y/n-chan?”

You bristled and shot a glare at a newly assigned Lieutenant.

Sharu? Shagumo?

His odd helmet and goggles hid most of his face, but you could still plainly see his dismissive smirk.

“I was thinking more of saving the citizens from any dire situations,” you snapped, “But yes, this needs to be done quickly. We’re already a week and a half overdue back at Headquarters. _Lieutenant_.”

A few of the other men in the room shifted awkwardly, but the Lieutenant didn’t seem to notice. His lip curled.

“We’re saving them as is,” he scoffed, leaning forward to rest lazily on the table, “We’re taking time out of our mission to answer their distress call. They won’t care whether this is done in one hour or three. You need to relax a little, Y/n-chan.”

Your hands clenched into fists. The temperature in the room suddenly rose multiple degrees.

“If you-“

“You will show respect to your senior officers, Sharinguru!” Sakazuki’s fist came down on the table, upsetting an ink bottle that splashed black droplets over the Lieutenant’s coat, “I won’t stand for insubordination!”

A shocked silence fell in the conference room. The lanterns hanging from the ceiling creaked as the ship rolled lightly on the waves. A drop of sweat rolled down your temple.

Sharinguru was practically shaking in his boots as he faced down Sakazuki’s burning glare.

“Ah, r-right,” he cleared his throat and turned to offer you a terrified smile, “My apologies, Captain L/n.”

Your glare remained, but you nodded your acceptance.

“Get yourself cleaned up!” Sakazuki snapped, “And don’t let me see your face again. You won’t be participating in this mission.”

Sharinguru stood and left without any fuss, fumbling with the door knob a bit as he made his exit. You let out a low sigh when the door closed behind him.

“Captain L/n is correct, the size of the village will require another team,” Sakazuki immediately returned to business, “Roy will take the right flank, Naofumi will take the left.”

The two men nodded as the temperature slowly began to drop back to a comfortable level.

“L/n and I will be the third team. We will make a direct attack from the north, down the center, and then work our way to the beach. All teams will meet there. We will annihilate the pirates.”

Your eyes widened and you glanced up to see Sakazuki watching you. You quirked an eyebrow but quickly nodded.

You didn’t see a need for the two highest ranked officers to pair up. Normally you and he would be leading the two flanks. But the two Lieutenant Commanders were dependable men. They could handle the troops for a short mission like this.

Sakazuki stepped back from the table and made for the door, the thunderous scowl still on his face.

“We’ll reach the island within the hour. Be ready,” he grunted before the door slammed behind him.

The silence that fell was broken by a loud sigh.

“Serves him right for disrespecting L/n-san,” Roy shook his head.

You blinked and a warmth rose on your cheeks.

“He must be stupid to be so lax in front of Sakazuki-san.”

You cleared your throat and headed for the door.

“We’d better prepare,” you said without looking back, “We don’t want the Vice Admiral in more of a mood than he already is.”

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

You fucked up.

You fucked up so bad.

You wiped the blood from your cheek and pushed the slumped body off you. The woman flopped into the dust, lifeless.

You stared at the back of her head. Blood was pooling under her, where your sword had pierced her chest. Your heartbeat was pounding in your temples. Your hands were so slick with sweat that you dropped your sword.

“Captain.”

Your head jerked up. Your breath caught in your throat.

“Sir…!” you gasped, “I-I didn’t- she just-“

He towered over you, his face hidden in shadow.

“It is regrettable, but now is not the time to dwell on it. We’ve got the pirates on the run,” his voice was hard, but there was something else, something… understanding, buried beneath.

He reached down and pulled you up. The warm hand on your arm brought you partially out of shock. You managed to keep your footing when he let you go, but your vision was spinning.

Something was thrust into your hands. You looked down to see your sword.

“Come on, L/n,” he moved away, “Cover me.”

A simple order.

Something you could do.

“Y-Yes sir,” you staggered forward, then shifted to a fumbling run.

But you couldn’t help but look over your shoulder.

The body was still there, a barely distinguishable lump on the ground, quickly disappearing as you sprinted after Sakazuki’s vanishing coat.

She had been a villager. Not a pirate. But you hadn’t seen that until it was too late.

She had leapt at you out of the dark, shouting as she’d waved the small dagger wildly at your face.

_“Leave them alone! They’re good people! They didn’t hurt us!”_

You ran on through the night, gunshots and shouts growing louder as you caught up with the fleeing pirates. The pirates who might not have hurt anyone in that village…

But then why did you pick up a distress signal?

What was going on here?

Your hand drifted up to grip the brim of your hat. Your fingers ghosted over a thorny stem and you snatched them back when you felt a prick. A small dot of blood emerged on your index finger.

A red glow up ahead gave away Sakazuki’s position. Screams filled the night. It seemed this raid was nearing its end.

Your resolve steeled and you pushed on toward the beach. You told yourself that mistakes would be justified as long as this mission was successful.

But you couldn’t blink away her pale face, frozen in shock as blood seeped down her dress. You couldn’t shake off the feeling of her hands as they’d grasped at you, or the way her body had collapsed against yours, twitching in her last throes of life.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered as you lifted your gun and trained your sight on a running pirate, aiming between his shoulder blades as he fled before you.

_“They’re good people! They didn’t hurt us!”_

But they were pirates.

You pulled the trigger.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

You found yourself on the rear deck in the dark hours of the morning. This was happening more and more often.

You found yourself shivering despite the warm climate of the nearby island. This was also happening more frequently.

You took a long drink from the bottle clutched in your hand. The cold liquor chilled you and your shivers intensified.

You sat back against the wall and stretched your legs out. As you stared out into the darkness, the gentle whisper of the waves began to muffle your thoughts. Your hands slowly relaxed their death grip on the bottle.

“You aren’t scheduled for night duty.”

You hid your startled jump behind a shift in your sitting position.

“I relieved the watch, sir,” you crossed your legs as his tall silhouette, hooded but lacking his coat, appeared from around the corner, “He was falling asleep at his post anyway.”

“Hmph.”

The crack of a match broke the silence and the tip of a cigar lit the night.

“This is a dry ship,” his voice came from behind the amber glow.

You lifted the bottle to salute him.

“So it is, sir,” you took another sip and then held it out.

You weren’t sure if you expected him to take it away from you or to ignore you.

You definitely didn’t expect him to take it and sit down beside you.

“Uh…” you watched him take two long pulls, nearly emptying the bottle.

“This is terrible, L/n. If you’re going to sneak alcohol aboard make sure it’s good quality.”

You blinked, starting to wonder if you had fallen asleep and had begun to dream.

“I’ll… do better next time, sir.”

He handed the bottle back.

“See that you do.”

The embers on his cigar glowed brighter. His exhale was loud in the silence. You realized you’d never seen him smoking before.

You decided you must be dreaming.

You shivered and pulled your coat further around your shoulders.

“I hope you don’t intend to sit out here until dawn,” he grunted.

Something about the witching hours erodes walls and loosens lips, even in dreams.

“I’ll be heading back in soon,” you sighed, “I prefer sunsets over rises.”

Endings over beginnings. The satisfaction of a job well done. The reassurance that the turmoil was over. The knowledge that you could move on to new things. Move on from the blood soaked earth beneath your feet.

Invisible hands grasped at your shirt. Dying breaths gasped loudly in your ears. A dark form slumped to the ground, vanishing into the night as you turned your back on someone you were supposed to protect.

You tossed back the remaining alcohol and tucked the empty bottle into your coat.

Another silence.

Another shiver.

He shifted.

“Mistakes were made, but justice prevailed. That island will know peace now.”

You shot a glance at this dream form of Sakazuki. He was using that tone that reminded you of bonsai trees. His hood shrouded what darkness couldn’t. You saw only the smouldering embers of the cigar.

You wondered why he was the one your mind had decided to conjure for this strange chat.

Another silence.

Another shiver. This one was a bit more violent.

God, you were so cold.

“Is that what you have to tell yourself every time?” you mumbled, pulling your coat further around your body.

Maybe if you pulled it tight enough you would wake yourself up.

So much for relieving the watch…

The night air shifted with a gentle breeze. A warmth began settling over you, chasing away your perpetual chill. Your eyelids began to droop as tiredness suddenly threatened to overwhelm you.

“It is the truth,” Sakazuki’s shadow, now strangely red-tinged, turned and you saw the flash of his eyes reflecting the orange glow.

You nodded, your head falling back against the wall. Darkness was beckoning and you felt strangely safe at the moment.

“I know,” you sighed as your eyes fell closed.

But that didn’t make it any easier.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

The morning bell yanked you out of your slumber with no warning or gentleness.

You flailed, cursing yourself for falling asleep on deck.

The sheets tangled around your limbs and you tumbled out of your bed and onto the floor.

“Wha-?”

You rubbed your face and looked around to find yourself in your room.

Had you dreamed that whole thing?

No...

You pulled the empty bottle from your coat.

But you didn’t remember walking back here…

You only remembered a soothing warmth and the first restful sleep you’d had in months.

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

As soon as you got back to Marineford, Sharinguru was transferred to another unit.


	9. 9

You stretched your arms over your head and let out a satisfied groan. The window across the room revealed a sun that was getting ready to meet the horizon.

A faint smile lifted your lips.

You’d finished your reports just in time.

You left the empty office and moved quietly down the hall.

It was after the usual working hours. There weren’t that many people remaining in the office buildings designated for all the bureaucratic nonsense that held the Marine system together.

A figure emerged from a room down the hall.

Commodore Momonga lifted his hand in brief greeting. You returned his wave before he turned and disappeared around the corner ahead.

Though you’d risen through the ranks alongside him, the two of you had remained distant colleagues, respectful of each other’s accomplishments and strength. You’d heard rumours of a possible promotion for him in the near future.

The thought of promotion reminded you to go visit Gion later to congratulate her on making Rear Admiral. You hoped she was at Marineford, it had been ages since you’d seen her. In recent years it had become rare that the two of you ended up at Headquarters at the same time.

You were pulled from your thoughts when you drew alongside a particular door and noticed that it wasn’t fully shut.

That was unusual. He liked his privacy.

Within, you could see his shoulders hunched over his desk, his head propped up with one hand and a pen in his other.

After a moment’s hesitation, you knocked softly and pushed the door open.

“It’s late, sir. Surely that can wait until tomorrow.”

He didn’t move or give any sign that he had heard you.

“Sir?”

You stepped forward just as a soft snore broke the silence.

A smirk lifted your lips.

Even the great Vice Admiral Sakazuki wasn’t immune to the tedium of paperwork.

You moved quietly up to his desk.

Even in sleep his lips fell naturally into a frown, though it was much less pronounced. His hood drooped low over his face. Your eyes traced his jawline and the way his sweater dipped a little at his neck to reveal a glimpse of his tanned chest.

“Sir…”

He shifted, muttering something unintelligible under his breath. The pen fell from his hand. His shoulders tensed and a light sheen of sweat appeared on his upper lip.

You frowned, suddenly feeling like you were intruding where you weren’t welcome.

“Sir,” you reached out, “You should go home-“

His arm was snatched out from under your fingers and you dodged to the side just in time to avoid a steaming fist.

Your stomach dropped.

There was a brooding hatred etched into the lines of his snarl. A rage that couldn’t be quelled was burning in his wide-eyed glare. An intense, deep-rooted pain was simmering just under the surface.

A jolt shivered through your chest, knocking the rest of your sentence from your mouth.

“-to sleep…”

Your voice triggered a flash of recognition.

His eyes widened, then he pulled back. The temperature of the room, which had skyrocketed, quickly returned to a semi-tolerable level.

“I’m sorry for waking you, sir,” you quickly bowed your head, “I-“

“Shut up.”

Your mouth snapped closed and you averted your gaze from his pale, sweaty, uncomfortable glare.

The chair scraped across the floor as he stood. He yanked a drawer open (almost ripping it from its hinges), took out a cigar, and lit it with the volcanic heat of his thumb.

He turned his back on you, moving to stare out the large window behind his desk.

Silence fell as he drew a few long breaths of smoke. His shoulders remained tense. The fist hung by his side was clenched tight.

You stood there awkwardly, unsure if you should just leave and unsure if your heart was going to stop hammering anytime soon.

“Was there something you needed?” he finally broke the heavy silence.

You eyed his stiff back, then your gaze drifted over his shoulder to the sunset just starting to light the sky outside.

“Actually, sir…”

He tilted his head slightly when you paused.

“Spit it out, Captain.”

You did as ordered.

“… I was wondering if you would like to join me for a walk. The sunset is beautiful from the tip of the harbour.”

You expected an incredulous stare.

You got a contemplative frown.

The silence drew out. The smoke curled up around his head.

“Yes… a walk would be… refreshing.”

He stubbed out his half-burnt cigar in an ashtray on the window sill.

You swallowed your surprise, nodded, and, without a word, headed for the door.

Steady footfalls followed you through Headquarters. You were conscious of the looks thrown as you made your way through the town and toward the battlements, but you had a feeling they were directed more to the man stalking behind you. You quickened your pace as your desire to reach the solitude at the end of the causeway grew stronger.

You finally arrived at your favourite spot and beheld the brilliant colours filling both sea and sky.

You still hadn’t looked back at Sakazuki, but you kept a close ear on the scuffs of his shoes as he stepped up beside you.

The pair of you stood in silence as the sun threw out its brief shout of farewell to the day. The richness of the colours grew, and then passed their peak and began to fade into muted pastels, and then into blues and greys.

You breathed out, letting the remnants of the anxious knot he’d tied in your chest slip through your lips.

“Well… that’s it I’m afraid,” you held your stare to the darkening skies.

“L/n.”

It was only then that you looked back to him.

Your breath caught in your throat.

There was no trace of the hatred and rage and pain from his waking moments. Instead you were met with a relaxed… smile?

It was faint, _very_ faint. But definitely there.

“You were right,” his voice was low as he moved his gaze from the horizon onto you.

Warmth crept over your cheeks, melting the last of your fear.

“Of course, sir,” you gave him a wink, “I wouldn’t dare waste your time.”

The corner of his mouth twitched a little higher. Then his attention moved back to the indigo now painting the sky. You recognized that faraway look in his eyes. You’d seen it countless times staring back at you in the mirror.

Sensing it was time for you to go, you turned and waved over your shoulder, leaving him in the rising night.

You felt the prickle of his gaze all the way to the gates. But when you looked back, you couldn’t make out the end of the pier through the heavy dusk.


End file.
